Ron returns to Slane with art exhibition

Last year, at the Rolling Stones concert in Slane, Ronnie Wood declared himself a Meath GAA fan as he roared 'Up the Royals" at the crowd gathered on Lord Henry"s front lawn. This year, the Kildare resident rock star artist will be back in Slane - not in the guise of a singer, but as a painter. 'The Art of Ronnie Wood" is the title of an exhibition of signed prints that will run at Ann Lilly"s Slane Art and Print Gallery. The exhibition opens on Saturday next, 12th July, at 3pm, and continues until 26th July. Ronnie Wood was born in Middlesex, England, into a musical and artistic family. Before beginning his musical career he received formal art training at Ealing College of Art in London. As his musical career with the Jeff Beck Group, the Faces and the Rolling Stones progressed, Wood continued his painting and drawing, his subjects ranging from musicians he admired, knew and sometimes played with, to family and close friends, and, of course, the self-portrait. He started showing publicly in San Francisco in the 1980s, with his art ranging in style and subject matter from the abstract and traditional landscapes, all deeply reflective of his breadth of life experience. It is as natural to find him with a pencil as with a guitar, drawing portraits of contemporaries and finding inspiration from his musical influences. He devotes a considerable amount of time to printmaking and has produced a number of images using various techniques - etching, drypoint, screenpoint and digital. Over the years his work has been widely exhibited. In 1996 he had a retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, Sao Paulo, Brazil. He has had numerous one man exhibitions in North and South America, in the far East and throughout Europe. See www.lillyfineart.com for images and prices.